Call for Papers ‘The evolution of the museum’

Science Museum, London, 13-14th July 2017

Museums are emergent entities – and the evolution of a museum is dependent on a number of factors, including: changes in collecting and disposal practices, redisplays and the legacy of temporary exhibitions. New pedagogical perspectives relating to new questions or ideological trends, either in museology or in the disciplines represented in the collections, are also influential.

This workshop will focus on selected case studies to analyse the impact of these changes on methodological issues relating to universal histories and universal museums. In particular, the evolution of the museum will be discussed in relation to the impact of temporary exhibitions and the circulation of knowledge in the public sphere. The workshop will explore how social knowledge practices influence the structuring of institutional knowledge, and the emergence of new disciplines.

The case studies that we will use to trace this evolution over time are the 1876  Loan Collection of Scientific Apparatus at the South Kensington Museum and the creation of the Musée d'Ethnographie du Trocadéro.

The 1876 Loan Exhibition is a temporary exhibition which took place in 1876 at the South Kensington Museum and was one of the founding displays which led to the creation of the Science Museum. This exhibition offers an ideal case study for the ways in which temporary displays have a permanent legacy in national and international museum collections, and how far the interpretation and presentation of materials was transformed in this process.

The Musée d'Ethnographie du Trocadéro opened in 1882 following the 1878 International Exhibition, for which the Trocadéro palace had been built. Though many studies have focused on the successive transformations of this museum in the Musée de l’Homme and, successively, the Musée du Quai Branly and the MUCEM, the first assemblage and display of these ethnographic collections is less well known. Drawing on the place given to the arts, the regions, and different themes in universal exhibitions in Paris, and particularly in the 1878 exhibition, the discussion of the Musée d'Ethnographie will cast new light on the motivations and relationships of collectors, learned societies, politicians, and publics in informing the creation of this museum.

The workshop will bring together researchers from ethnography, history of science, and museum history, to explore the evolution of museums, mainly – but not only – in France and the UK. The workshop will also contain a session with the objects studied in the Universal Histories and Universal Museums project. We invite papers and posters exploring the agencies and reception of these two institutions and their collections. Contributions might consider, but need not be confined to, the following themes:

-          History and/or  comparison of the science and art collections in the South Kensington Museum, and the foundation of the Science Museum

-          History of ethnographic collections in Paris (and direct comparisons with other cities and particularly with London) and of the first Musée d'Ethnographie du Trocadéro

-          The impact of temporary exhibitions and universal exhibitions on the creation and development of museum collections.

Important information:

• Papers - abstract: 300 words (30 minutes papers)
• Poster presentations – abstract: 300 words

                                          

Deadline for both abstracts: 21^st April 2017. 

Send abstracts to: universalhistoriesmuseums@gmail.com. 

Authors will be notified by the 30^th April.

Note that we will aim to publish the workshops of the ‘Universal Histories, Universal Museums’ research project as a journal special issue.

On behalf of the Universal Histories and Universal Museums team: André Delpuech, Hervé Inglebert, Sandra Kemp, Chiara Zuanni.

Discover more about the project: https://universalhistories.org - Get in touch via Facebook (page ‘Universal Histories and Universal Museums’), Twitter (@UniversalMuseum), and Instagram (@universal_histories).

Job Vacancy Part-time Collections Database Officer Pitt Rivers Museum

Grade 6: £27,629 - £32,958 p.a. (pro rata)

The Pitt Rivers Museum is looking for part-time Collections Database Officer. The postholder will be responsible for the maintenance of the Museum’s collections databases, that provide internal and external access to the Museum’s world-famous collections. She or he will need to have a good understanding of how best to help others use databases, the ability to create accounts and change layouts, and the ability to ensure that robust systems checks are completed and backup data is available. Working closely with PRM staff, colleagues in the Museums and Gardens IT group, and the system suppliers to ensure that all the Museum’s systems work together in an integrated manner This is an important role in a busy museum requiring excellent organisation, time management, attention to detail, and communication skills. This post is part-time for 22 hours per week. Full details of essential requirements are available in the job description. The closing date for applications is 12.00 noon on Friday 31 March 2017. Interviews are likely to take place in April 2017. For further details and to apply https://www.recruit.ox.ac.uk/pls/hrisliverecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.display_form

Job Vacancy: Part-time Executive Assistant to the Director and Head of Administration and Finance Pitt Rivers Museum

Grade 4: £21,220 - £24,565 p.a. (pro rata)

The Pitt Rivers Museum is looking for part-time enthusiastic and professional Executive Assistant To provide a diary management, administrative and secretarial support service for the Director primarily and the Head of Administration and Finance. To deal with a wide range of matters, sometimes of a highly confidential nature, on behalf of the Director. The postholder will be the point of contact for internal and external visitors for the Director. This is an important role in a busy Museum requiring excellent organisation, time management and communication skills. Full details of essential requirements are available in the job description. This role will not attract sufficient points to obtain a sponsored tier 2 visa under the points based immigration system, however applications are welcome from candidates who don’t currently have the right to work in the UK, but who would be eligible to obtain a visa via another route This post is part-time, 18 hours per week, expected to be Monday – Friday, 10.00am – 1.40pm. The closing date for applications is 12.00 noon on Wednesday 5 April 2017. Interviews are likely to take place in April 2017. For further details and to apply https://www.recruit.ox.ac.uk/pls/hrisliverecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.display_form

China Art Research Network (CARN)

Do you work in a museum or a collection, which contains Chinese material? CARN is initiating a research project ‘Mapping Chinese Objects/Collections in the UK’. In addition to the well-known collections of Chinese art, we are aiming to find Chinese material in unlikely places.

CARN has been established to facilitate access to material in object-based research disciplines such as art history and archaeology. This is significant, as there are extensive and often under-researched collections containing Chinese art/objects in the UK. It will provide a platform for art historians, archaeologists, museum and art world professionals who specialise in China and who work on object-based research in disciplines including history, technical art history and conservation.

To find out more, please visit the website. You do not need to be a specialist of Chinese material culture or art: everyone who deals with Chinese material in their everyday work is invited to join CARN membership. This will give you access to the CARN Newsletter in the first instance and in future CARN will be a resource for finding out about Chinese art and for connecting with specialists in the field.

CARN has received funding from Royal Society Edinburgh (RSE) to launch it’s activities which include colloquia, newsletter and website. CARN leader, Principal Investigator, is Dr Minna Törmä, Lecturer in Chinese Art at University of Glasgow; for further information, contact minnakatriina.torma@glasgow.ac.uk